Reviews tagging 'Cancer'

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab

32 reviews

sarahbiegelsen's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Grief

Moderate: Confinement, Death, Torture, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Cancer, Blood, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and War

jayknowsit's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Suicide attempt, and Alcohol

Minor: Cancer, Drug abuse, Drug use, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Injury/Injury detail

amre23's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Dysphoria

Moderate: Cursing, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Suicide, Terminal illness, Grief, War, and Classism

Minor: Cancer, Confinement, and Fire/Fire injury

mobymaize's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Simply wow. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Violence, Grief, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Abandonment

Minor: Cancer

molly_rose's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, and Abandonment

Minor: Cancer, Chronic illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and War

zeppelinnyx's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

3.00

This is certainly an…interesting read. The characters are definitely intriguing, but the relationships between them don’t really feel… sincere? I guess it feels like Addie’s connections with people are supposed to be the most important part, but none of them really feel compelling to me.

Even with Henry or Luc. Her feelings for Henry— and his feelings in return, I think— seem to only come from a place of deep loneliness. That’s very impactful, for sure, but it doesn’t make me feel much other than sadness. Maybe that’s the point? I’m not sure. Then Luc only knows obsession; that’s obvious. Addie’s feelings of attachment to him only shows her loss of humanity, in my opinion. Especially when it’s obvious that she still has a deep hatred and resentment for him.

The pacing is slow for my tastes, but I recognize that that’s the type of story being told here. The prose in this novel is very dramatic and stirring; I appreciate that, but the plot drags a bit. The ending of this novel definitely leaves you with a lot of mixed emotions, but it’s solid. Hard to swallow if you’re not a fan of open endings, though. 

Quality of Writing: 8/10
Pacing: 5/10
Plot Development: 5/10
Characters: 9/10
Enjoyability: 6/10
Ease of Reading: 3/10
Ending: 6/10

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Grief, and Alcohol

Moderate: Sexual content and Sexual harassment

Minor: Cancer, Child death, Death, Death of parent, and War

lynxpardinus's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting, and Alcohol

Moderate: Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Death of parent, and War

Minor: Biphobia, Cancer, Child death, and Pregnancy

caitlinjadams's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

On some level, this just isn't my book. 

I'm not really interested in the entire "deal with a devil" side of the story and desperation and the deals people would be willing to make is a major major theme of this book.  But it's also a book about what people do with time when it's short and when it's long and that I found compelling, but underdeveloped.  Also underdeveloped but inherently more interesting to me than anything devilish--how a woman survives over time.  In the end, I think I want this to have been two parallel stories--Addie's and Henry's side by side as foils by chance--with more on how the two people lived their circumstances rather than how they lived in spite of or because of the devil.  Can't say I recommend it.  Can't say the hours reading it were a waste.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Grief, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting, and Alcohol

Minor: Cancer, Eating disorder, Blood, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and War

fragrant_stars's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Grief, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Grief and War

Minor: Cancer, Sexual content, Suicide, Terminal illness, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol

malupastafrola's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Addiction, Death, Violence, Blood, Alcohol, and War

Minor: Cancer, Drug use, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail